The present invention relates generally to agricultural machinery and, more particularly, to improvements to combines for harvesting agricultural crops.
Combines for harvesting agricultural crops generally have a mowing platform or cutterbar and a threshing cylinder which is connected in the crop-flowing direction to at least one separation device. The separation device may operate on an axial flow principle. The separation device is situated in an annular gap between the separation rotor and the combine's housing and is equipped with a rotating drive separation rotor and a plurality of chopping knives that extend into the separation device. The separation rotor is enclosed by a cover, which has a radial cut-out section at the crop flow discharge end and is equipped with a guiding device which is mounted on the interior of the cover's top cover and is assigned to the separation rotor's vanes.
A combine of this type is disclosed in European Patent 96 107 457.2 A1. The feeding elements of each separation rotor are designed in a spiral-, helical-, or screw-type fashion around the cylindrical base body. The cover's fixed guiding devices are built like paths and are designed with a gradient, which is matched to the separation rotor vanes. Because the chopping knives are mounted on a carrying axle, which is parallel to the rotational axis of the separation rotor, the guiding devices in the area of the axial-flow chopping unit are installed in a sharp angle to the chopping knives. This is not an optimal arrangement for the chopping action because the crops to be chopped run through the working area of the chopping device too quickly. In addition, in the prior art, the axial-flow chopping device is located at a distance from the back discharge end of the separation rotor. This location is unsuitable for repair and maintenance work. Furthermore, with this location a continuous discharge of the chopped crops cannot be guaranteed.
It is desirable to provide a combine of the aforementioned type that produces a higher quality of the chopped crops compared to the prior art and provides a continuous discharge of chopped crops.